Cover plates are frequently used on the exterior of aircraft in certain regions of the aircraft skin for aerodynamic reasons, particularly in order to cover potential clearances, e.g., on doors or loading hatches. Such cover plates can be set in vibration due to air turbulances in a relative wind and thereby generate annoying noise. This may in turn be associated with increased aerodynamic drag and increased fuel consumption. The cover plate may also undesirably alter the outer mold line (OML) of the aircraft, thereby affecting the radar cross-section (RCS) of the aircraft.